Missing the Mark

I spent the other day drawing portraits. I created maybe a half dozen or so. While they were okay, they weren’t quite right. I missed the mark.

But for me, that’s not unusual.

I’ve spent a lifetime coloring outside the box. And when you do that, you risk missing the mark.

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul expressing his frustration with himself.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

Romans 7:15 (NIV)

Paul is obviously referring to his struggle with sin. Not just his struggle—but ours, too.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23 (NIV)

When we are talking about sin, we miss the mark when we fall short of God’s standard of holiness. Not our standard—but His.

And yes, we all have our own standard.

Think of it like this—Miles Davis, the great jazz trumpeter and composer, recorded several top notch albums. I ran across two different ones listed on separate “Greatest Records of All Time” lists [Kind of Blue (1959), Bitches Brew (1970)].

Over his lifetime, Miles recorded 60 studio albums. All of them, while great, don’t reach the realm of “Kind of Blue” or “Bitches Brew”. We have one standard, Miles had his. When it comes to jazz recordings, Miles served as the standard-bearer for greatness.

Human standards depend on our individual perspective. God’s standard for holiness emanates from Himself.

for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

God is the standard-bearer for holiness.

Friend, don’t be discouraged. We all struggle with sin. The good news is that in Christ, we don’t struggle alone. He is there to help us. He’s wiped the slate clean for us. We are not defined by our shortcomings.

Truth is, we all miss the mark. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying to do better. The good news is that it doesn’t rest on us alone. We have the Holy Spirit to help us. The Holy Spirit teaches us about holiness and shows us how to flee from temptation.

Stay strong. You aren’t fighting the battle alone.

As for me, I’m going back to my drawing board. I’ll keep on working on these portraits until I get them right.

I hope you keep trying, too. Success, let alone greatness, doesn’t come without effort. Dust yourself off and keep showing up. You’ll find that’s half the battle.

Remember: Tell somebody about Jesus today!

Cheerfully,

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™